The faces at Bayon
Next up was the rest of Angkor Thom including Baphuon with its enormous reclining Buddha relief built into the back of it, the royal palace and Phimeanakas and its high staircase. One of my favorites was Preah Palilay, a temple a little distant from the center of Angkor Thom but not crowded and with a magical atmosphere. Tep Pranam, Preah Pithu, the Terraces of the Leper King and Elephants were all very nice too. It was a big complex and took a long time to explore. We also spent a lot of our time evading the persistent sales children prowling around the complex trying to sell their wares. It was my first experience with children selling things on this trip and I unknowingly refused a very good deal on 3 magnets for $1.
Preah Palilay
Before leaving Angkor Thom, we changed drivers because Narat had to go back to the hostel to help another customer or something (didn't quite understand his explanation). I was worried about him because of his harsh fall yesterday, but our new driver, Noi was just as nice as Narat. We went to Ta Prohm next to see the temple being devoured by trees. Unfortunately the trees at Ta Prohm are trimmed and manicured so unlike the wilderness at Beng Mealea. It is also the site of the now-iconic (thanks to Lonely Planet) "Tomb Raider Tree" where Angelina Jolie posed in her movie. The layout of this temple was nice and fairly easy to navigate. Somewhere between Angkor Thom and Lunch we went to Chau Say Tevoda and Thommanon, two relatively minor temples near Angkor Thom. A short stop at Ta Keo afforded a magnificent view from the unfinished temple.
The Tree and I
By that time it was getting late and Nancy and I wanted to see sunset at Angkor Wat (it faces West unlike most other Angkor temples), so Noi convinced us to skip Banteay Kdei and Sra Srang (the last few stops on the Little Loop) and go straight to Angkor Wat. Once I stepped through the main gate and beheld the glory of Angkor Wat, I understood why it is hailed as a world wonder. The perfect symmetry and calculated approach down the central causeway make for an experience that builds up suspense before reaching the 3-leveled central sanctuary itself. In order to avoid the crowds, Nancy and I decided to tour the long gallery carvings around the perimeter of the first level. After dodging Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Spanish, and French tour groups, we deciphered the history carved in the walls. Like a graphic novel it described myths and the reign of Suryavarman II, the builder of Angkor. About halfway around the perimeter, the clouds opened up and let down the most intense torrent of rain that I've seen here so far. Thunder boomed through the sky and crowds touring the grounds of the temple rushed to get inside. Even the tour groups in the outer galleries with us retreated into the innards of the temple. Nancy and I had the entire place to ourselves. It was a creepy feeling looking down the great hallway and seeing no hoards clambering to see the bas-reliefs.
After enough quietude (despite the rolling thunder), we ascended to the second level and found the huddled masses. It was an amazing sight to see the drainage engineering of the ancient Khmer in action with water pouring off the eaves and into strategically placed basins that acted as ponds for water retention and drainage into the large pond outside the temple and further into the surrounding moat. At the third level of Angkor Wat, the central sanctuary was quickly flooding with pouring rain. Luckily, Nancy and I both have waterproof Gortex North Face shoes and had no qualms about jumping into the watery courtyard. Along with us were three crazy Koreans who frolicked about in the rain and under the waterfall-like runoff coming from the upper sanctuary.
Exploring around to the back, we found ourselves alone with a guard and asked him if we could go up into the barricaded upper sanctuary. He chortled and proposed "I take you? How much?" Nancy and I agreed to two people for $15 after bargaining down from $10/person. We scrambled over the little fence and ambled up the restoration wooden stairs. Nobody was there and scaffolding clad some parts of the central tower, a symbolic representation of Mount Meru, home of the Hindu gods. The guard guided us around, always being sure that nobody else was around the next corner. In the central tower was an altar to four Buddha statues. Nancy gave a donation, which the guard I think ripped and tossed up to the altar. Coming down was a bit more of a challenge as the rain had stopped and people were beginning to filter back into the lower courtyard. The guard told us to hide behind some walls while he looked for a clearing in the crowds. After waiting about 7 minutes in the unflattering odor of bat guano, the guard pulled out his cellphone and texted (presumably his other guard friends). Five minutes later after a surreptitious descent we were in an empty section of the courtyard cordoned off by other security guards. After paying our guide, we melted back into the crowd retreating from shepherding security guards claiming "closing time to leave". Nancy and I celebrated our little victory with Cambodian corruption when we crossed the causeway and found Noi patiently waiting in his tuk tuk.
That night after a Thai dinner, we explored the Night Market for a nice foot massage ($4 for 15 min). I bought a couple of t-shirts and souvenirs and we went back to Bun Cao guesthouse for a sound night's sleep.
